A Twist of Fate
by Brown Eyes Parker
Summary: Just a series of Eliot/Parker one-shots based on Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" album. Full summeries inside. My first Eliot/Parker fan fiction EVER, "He said. .. "Speak Now". Please read and review, might be OOC.
1. He said   Speak Now

**He said. . . "Speak Now"**

**An Eliot/Parker Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Summary:**

**Eliot's getting married, but Parker thinks it's to the wrong girl. Will she speak now, or forever hold her peace? Based on "Speak Now" by the incredible Taylor Swift.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own anything except for a handful of siblings, one of which introduced me to "Leverage" and the beautiful Eliot. I don't own "Speak Now". . . . well, I do own the CD, but that's not what you were wondering about.**

**Author's Note:**

**This is my first Leverage fan fiction, and I've only watched two episodes so far. But I am quickly becoming addicted to the Eliot/Parker fandom. So, I needed to write this story. At first, it was going to be Parker getting married to Hardison, but I nixed that idea, because I couldn't see how to make it work. (Although, in my mind, Eliot stopping Parker's wedding would be incredibly. . . hot). **

**Anyways, I'm rambling, and the point of this note was to apology for how incredibly out of character everybody is going to be, because I haven't watched the show long enough for them to be in character. So, I am sorry. And I hope that you'll give me some feedback when you're finished reading this. . . like tell me if I should NEVER write Eliot/Parker fan fiction after this, or if I should wait until I watch more episodes.**

**Anywho on to the story. **

**Holly, July 11, 2011_**

**P.S**

**I lived in New Hampshire (near Massachusetts) for fourteen years, it's my home. . . and we get snow in November. On that, I am accurate, I promise. **

**.**

"So, how'd it go last night?" Nate asked as Eliot came into the office one snowy morning in November.

"She said yes," Eliot answered, smiling slightly.

"Congratulations man!" Hardison said, slapping him on the back.

"Wait! _Who _said _yes_ to _what_?" Parker asked as she came out of the kitchen with a mug of something hot in her hands.

"Eliot's girlfriend Stella accepted his marriage proposal," Sophie answered, coming in and taking her coat off.

"I didn't even know you were dating somebody," Parker addressed Eliot.

"Yeah, I have been. . . for almost a year now, actually."

"Oh. . ." she trailed off, unsure of what to say. She guessed she should say _congratulations_, but she couldn't force it past her lips. In fact, most of the terms for congratulations were lost on her, she couldn't even bring herself to say _I'm happy for you_. Because she wasn't. How could she be, when she had been in love with Eliot for years?

"Are you okay Parker?" Eliot asked, noting her pale cheeks and pinched expression.

"Sure," she put her drink down on the coffee table. "Um. . . I, um, need to think. I'll see you guys later."

She grabbed her coat and slammed the door shut on her way out of the office, obviously trying to hide that something was wrong with her, but failing miserably.

.

**Six Months Later:**

"You can invite whoever you want babe," his fiancée Stella said, going over Eliot's list of guests. "All of your friends from work. . . except for Parker."

"Why not?" Eliot asked, taking off his glasses and laying them next to the invitations he had been addressing.

"Because, I don't like the way she looks at you," Stella answered.

"I've never noticed her looking at me."

Hardison snorted as he came into the conference room. "Are you kidding me? You've _never_ noticed her looking at you?"

"Alec. . . _please_!" Stella said holding her hand up in annoyance. "I can handle this by myself."

"Eliot, you _have _to invite Parker," Hardison addressed his friend. "She'll be so disappointed if you don't invite her—"

"Shut it Nerd!" Stella grabbed a pen and made deep lines through Parker's name. "She's uninvited."

"And you're a nightmare," Hardison muttered, hoping that Eliot would come to his senses and dump the witch before their wedding day. He couldn't see what he saw in her anyways, she wasn't even that attractive.

.

**A year and one month later:**

Parker was hiding in the curtains in the back of the church, watching the hustle and bustle of last minute preparations. She watched Eliot hug Sophie and shake hands with Nate. She listened as the orchestra tuned their instruments up, preparing to play the Wedding March. . . (to Parker, it sounded more like a funeral march to her.) She wasn't supposed to be there, Eliot's bride had uninvited her months ago, but that morning Hardison had called and said she better be at the church, or Eliot was going to make the biggest mistake of his life.

She looked closely at Eliot's face, she hoped it wasn't just her imagination, but he looked miserable. He looked like life with Stella wasn't exactly what he thought it would be. For the first time in a year, something in her fragile heart began to bloom. . . hope.

Finally, everything was in place and Stella was floating down the aisle on her father's arm, in a dress that was totally unflattering. When she was safely at the end of the aisle, Parker ducked out from behind the curtains and took a seat in the back pew.

It started out like any other wedding started out, with the pastor addressing the sanctity of marriage, and how important it was to love and cherish the one you were with. To keep your marriage vows sacred. She tried to concentrate on what the minister was saying, she really did. But she only had eyes for Eliot, and his eyes. . . searching out the church sanctuary, like he was looking for somebody.

Finally, the preacher reached the part where he said, "If anybody knows why this couple shouldn't get married, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Parker knew it was just a formality. . . that you weren't really supposed to stop somebody else's wedding. But she didn't care, she knew it was her last chance to tell Eliot how she really felt about him. So, with shaking hands she stood up and cleared her throat. Her heartbeat was erratic, as the guests (minus the Leverage team) all glared at her, or exchanged horrified looks. She didn't care though, she was only looking at him.

There was a beat and then the pastor asked, "Well?"

"You're not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl Eliot," she said. "And I think that Stella is the wrong girl for you."

Stella let loose a few explicits, her face flaming red. "Who let _her_ in? I thought that we crossed her off the guest list!"

Parker cringed, but she continued. "Hear me out, don't say yes. . . because I love you."

Hardison's, _You go girl!_,paired with Nate and Sophie's encouraging smiles gave her the courage to go on.

"If you love me too. . . you won't say yes, you'll run away, and then meet me at the back door of the church."

There was more silence, and then applause from a few people in the church who wished they had had the courage to do the same thing when the pastor had said _speak now_. But Eliot didn't say anything.

Parker's cheeks went red, and she turned away, ready to leave. She whirled around and looked at Eliot one last time, trying to force out _I'm happy for you, if this is what you want then I'm happy for you_. But she couldn't make out the words, so she just left without saying anything else.

Stella smirked, because she had won. "Good, she's gone! Now we can continue on with the ceremony."

"No," Eliot said quietly.

"NO!" She screeched. "YOU'RE CHOOSING HER OVER ME!"

"Yes!"

Stella swore again and threw her bouquet on the ground. "But you don't even love her! You never looked at her before in your life!"

Eliot didn't really think he should give her the benefit of a response, but he did anyways. He untied his tie and said, "That's just it. . . I think I have seen her my whole life, and I just didn't know it."

Stella screamed some more and threw her engagement ring at him as he ran to catch up with Parker.

A man stood up and said, "I have something to say too. . . Stella—"

.

"Parker!" Eliot yelled, running out of the church and into the snowy twilight. "Parker, where are you? This isn't time for your little games—"

"Here I am," she said, stepping out from behind the limo. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her mascara was running slightly. "What are you doing here anyways? I thought—"

"I didn't say yes darlin'," Eliot answered, anticipating her question. He took a step towards her. "I'm so glad that you said something. . . I would have made the biggest mistake of my life if you hadn't. So, thank you."

"Stella's pretty mad, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I don't think she'll ever take me back."

"You'll find somebody else, you're gorgeous. And you're a musician, and you're quite sweet when you want to be—"

Eliot cut her off with his lips. "I don't want anybody else though. I just want _you_, because I love you too."

And Parker was so happy that she had said something instead of holding her peace.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note II:**

**So epic failure? Or would you read more by me, because I've been inspired to write more Eliot and Parker stories to other songs on "the Speak Now" album, and maybe an Ingrid Michaelson song here and there. Please read & review, and I'll try to return the favor if you have any stories posted on**

**Holly, July 11, 2011_**


	2. Defending the Weaker Girl

**Story 2 – the Weaker Girl**

**An Eliot & Parker Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Summary:**

**Parker needs all the protection she can get, and Eliot is just the one to defend her from the stronger man. A request fic for Bprice, an anonymous reviewer. LOOSELY based on "Mean" by Taylor Swift. I'm mostly focusing on the lyrics, "You picking on the weaker man". Eliot/Parker romance, if you squint.**

**Shout Outs:**

**to the girls (or guys) who reviewed my story. . . Bprice, saides, Alece, & leavenotrace: thank you SO much for your reviews, and your constructive feedback. (Alece, I really don't like lyrics as dialogue either, I want to scream "THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE OR THE SHOW!)**

**to Bbarton for putting me in her/his favorite stories**

**to televisionluver for putting me in her/his story alerts**

**Disclaimer:**

**It's just my twist of fate, but I don't own anything. Not the characters in Leverage, or the rights to the song "Mean".**

.

"What happened?" Eliot asked as Parker came in one morning, trying to avoid him.

"_Nothing_," Parker replied, pulling her tweed fedora down lower over her left eye.

In a second, Eliot had pulled the hat off to reveal a black and blue mark that took over the greater part of her eye. "Parker. . . darlin', who did that to you?"

"Nobody!" Parker snapped. "I walked into a door! Gosh Eliot, why do you always expect the worse?"

Eliot pulled her closer and examined the mark closely. He felt a surge of hot anger rush through him. It was _not_ a bruise made from walking into a door. He could make out the imprint of a fist, it was as clear as crystal.

"Parker, _who_ did this to you?" He snarled.

"You don't know him," she replied, snatching her hat back and strategically placed it over her eye again.

"It wasn't a boyfriend, was it?"

Parker shrugged. "Do you think I'm that stupid?"

Eliot laughed half-heartedly. "Well. . ."

"Well, I'm not."

"I still want to go and beat whoever he is up."

She looked surprised. "Why?"

"Because. . . it'll teach him a lesson. Guys shouldn't beat girls up, it's not right. Besides, somebody like you doesn't deserve to have people be mean to them."

Parker blushed. "I can take care of myself."

"Maybe." There was a pause in their conversation, and then Eliot took her by the hand and brought her into the kitchen. He found a gel pack in the freezer and gently placed it over her eye. "Promise me that you'll tell me the next time he bothers you."

"Sure," Parker said unenthusiastically.

"Good."

.

A couple of weeks later, Eliot was in _Dunkin' Doughnuts _getting his coffee when he overheard a couple arguing. He tried to mind his own business, but it was hard to when the woman's voice sounded a lot like Parker's.

"I told you Mo, I'm _not _going to give anymore money to you!"

He turned his head just slightly. It was Parker alright, and she was arguing with a tall, burly looking man, who probably weighed three-hundred pounds more than she did. He paid for his coffee, and watched from the corner of his eyes as Mo swore at Parker, then pushed her into the counter that held the cream and the sugar.

Enough was enough. He slammed his coffee down, and marched right over to Mo. He tapped him on the shoulder, and before he had a chance to react, Eliot's fist made contact with Mo's nose, breaking it in the process.

"Hey!" Mo let loose a few choice words. "_What _was that for?"

"You were hitting a girl! She's weaker than you are! Didn't your mama ever teach you to treat ladies with the respect they deserve?" Eliot retorted. He turned to help Parker, who was struggling to her feet. "Are you okay darlin?"

"What do you care?" Mo asked. "You don't even know her!"

"Is this the man that's been hitting you?"

Parker barely nodded.

He turned back to Mo and delivered a hard punch to his eye.

Parker grabbed his hand. "Eliot! Please. . . _don't_!"

"I thought you weren't dating this goon?" Eliot said, turning his attention back to Parker and swallowing his anger so he wouldn't lash out on her.

"I'm not," Parker said weakly. "Mo was one of my foster brothers. . ."

Eliot swallowed hard, it took everything in him not to punch the guy again.

She sighed. "I don't know how he found me. . . he just did. At first, I was kind of happy. We used to be friends, he used to be nice to me. But he's changed, all he wants from me now is money for drugs and booze. And sometimes, I give it to him."

"But only when he threatens you?"

"No. . . after he hits me," Parker admitted, burying her head in his chest. "But only because I want it to stop."

"Come on, let's get you out of here before I kill him," Eliot said, his coffee forgotten.

"Leah, if you leave than I'm going to report you and your boyfriend to the police!" Mo warned, but his threats fell on deaf ears.

.

When they were out of ear-shot, Parker turned to Eliot and let go of his hand. "Thanks. Even though, I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure," Eliot said dryly. "Hey, do me a favor?"

"Anything," she replied.

"Please, don't ever agree to see that guy again. You might not get so lucky the next time, I probably won't be there to rescue you."

Parker giggled. "You're so full of yourself Eliot."

"I'm serious."

"I'll try not to then."

"Say that you _won't_!" Eliot demanded.

"Okay, okay, I won't!" Parker promised.

"Thank you," Eliot said, sighing in relief and taking her hand again. And silently, he vowed to himself that he would try and always save her.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note:**

**I hate this story. I know for a fact that this one is OOC, probably even more so than the last one. And it's SO short! I don't care if anybody likes it, except for Bprice, who requested that I write a story to "Mean" and how Eliot defends Parker. Anyways, feedback is always appreciated. And so are Parker/Eliot scenes. . . so I can get a better feel for them, and then they won't be so OOC. Tell me your favorites please!**

**Holly, July 11th, 2011_**

**P.S**

**It took me a while to talk myself into posting this, four days to be exact. But please, give me an honest opinion. It'll be for the best. Just know, I HATE this story. So I don't care if the opinion is bad or good, I just hope you'll keep reading.**


	3. Mine

**Story 3 – "Mine"**

**An Eliot/Parker Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Summary:**

**Shout-Outs:**

**Parker Source, Noelle86, saides, Bprice, (and leavenotrace, who reviewed by PM)**

**To everyone who favorited this story and put it on story alert, thanks to you all**

**Special thanks to:**

**Saides, who's helping me out with Parker-isms and the Eliot/Parker pairing until I get the hang of them.**

**Dedicated to:**

**Noelle86 because if she hadn't asked about doing a story to "Mine", I wouldn't have done it right away, I was going to do it eventually. But because of her request, I got a good idea sooner.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Clearly, I don't own any of the Leverage characters, or the rights to the song "Mine". I do own a broken CD player, and a dozen half-baked ideas for fan fiction, and fiction stories I would like to write one day.**

.

"I'll look for her," Eliot volunteered late one night in July. "It's my turn anyways, isn't it?"

Hardison gave him a weird look, and then went back to tinkering with his computer without saying anything.

"She's probably around here somewhere," Sophie answered. "Really, I don't think we have anything to worry about Eliot."

"We haven't seen her all day though," her replied. "I'm a little worried about her. I'm going to look for her, with or without your consent Sophie. I don't need it."

This time, Hardison muttered an, '_of course_', that was barely distinctive.

"Go on Eliot," Sophie said, ignoring Hardison, she was tired of his petty jealousies. "I'm sure that Parker's fine, but go on."

.

"There you are," Eliot said, finding Parker sitting out by the Charles River. "I've been looking for you everywhere darlin'."

"I didn't feel like coming in today. There was a new art exhibit at the Museum of History, I wanted to check it out." Parker smiled at him oblivious of his concern. She patted the seat beside her. "Do you want to sit?"

"Sure, for a minute." He sat down next to her and then, tentatively, he put his arm around her. He didn't know why he did it, there was just something about the petite blonde in the moonlight that made him want to touch her. . . to hold her close, and protect her. Sitting there, with the moonlight, the fireflies and the boat lights flashing on the water, felt right. Until that moment, he hadn't known his own heart. . . he loved her. If asked, he wouldn't be able to tell when it had happened exactly, but none of that mattered anymore. All he wanted to do was make the thief his.

Growing up, Parker had never known happiness or true love. So, when Eliot put his arm around her, every inch of her froze. The only time a guy touched her like this was when they wanted something. But then, there was something about his touch. . . for some reason, being here with him felt more right than with any other guy.

In a millisecond, for reasons she couldn't explain, Parker began to believe that some form of true love could exist. Didn't Eliot show love for her and the rest of the team in the way he protected them every day?

Her heartbeat sped up as she leaned into his side and closed her own eyes. Maybe, just maybe, she could fall in love with him.

.

After that, it was like an unspoken agreement had come up between them. . . to give whatever had transpired between them that night, a chance. They started spending all their free time together, and most days when they were at Nate's apartment, you would find them together on the couch. . . not sitting close, but close enough that the rest of the team began to figure out what was going on between them.

For the first time in her life, Parker truly understood what it was like to belong to another human being, and to have said human being to call her own. She never imagined in a million years that she would fall in love, and if she did think about it. . . she never imagined it would be with Eliot. But now that it happened, she loved loving somebody, and she loved that it was the gruff hitter, who underneath had one of the biggest hearts in the world.

Out of all the people she had known, out of all the possessions she had stolen or bought, he was the best thing that had ever been her's. And she was beginning to like him more than money, which was something that she had never thought possible for her.

.

A couple of months later, she was a regular fixture at Eliot's house. There was even a place for some of her things, a spare toothbrush, her favorite button-down shirt, a bright pink hair piece that she put her hair up in while she got ready for bed, and a box of _Lucky Charms_.

And even though they weren't doing the things that normal couples did, (he was a perfect gentleman in that respect, letting things go slowly, and not rushing the physical intimacy), she was slowly opening up to him. Painful things in her past were surprisingly easy to tell him, she told him secrets that she had kept to herself for ages.

.

It was 2am, almost a year later, and Parker was sure that things were over between them. They had had their first huge argument. Sure they had fought before, but it was nothing like this. Before, it had been about petty things, like about how much junk food she ate. . . or what movie they were going to rent on a Friday night. They'd argue about girls that they could set Hardison

up with, or if Sophie and Nate should have stopped dancing around the subject that was their feelings.

Years later, what they had fought about didn't matter anymore. What stuck with Parker was what had happened _after_ the argument was over.

She had run out on Eliot, tears swimming in her eyes, fully prepared to leave everything behind her, including the good memories she had recently made. She was so caught up in her emotions, and her plan to run that she hadn't heard the screen door shut a second time.

And then, somebody caught her by the wrist. She turned around and looked up into Eliot's intense eyes, wiping at her own eyes to hide her distress. She had taken a deep breath, and prepared herself for the goodbye that she had become so accustomed to when something went wrong growing up.

But it didn't come, instead he pulled her into an embrace and asked, "Where are you going darlin'?"

The tenderness in his voice caught her by surprise, and she fought off another wave of tears. For the first time in her life, Parker didn't want to say goodbye, but heard herself saying, "I'm leaving. . . before things get any worse."

"I don't want you to leave though," Eliot replied. And what he said next surprised her even more. She never thought that she would hear someone say this to her. "I love you Parker. You're one of the best things that's ever happened to me. And I never want you to leave, I think I would like to spend the rest of my life with you."

If Parker didn't know any better, she would have thought this was Eliot's way of telling her _she _was the best thing that had ever been his.

.

A few years ago, if somebody had told Parker that she was going to marry Eliot, she would have laughed at them. At the time, he hadn't seemed like the marrying type. And she knew, as a fact, that _she _most certainly wasn't the yellow house, and white picket fence kind of girl.

So to say that she wassurprised when Eliot had proposed to her would have been a gross understatement. She didn't know what had hit her when she had poured her _Lucky Charms_ into a bowl, and a diamond ring had fallen out with the cereal. At first, she thought it was the prize that came with the cereal, but then she had looked at her boyfriend. And she could tell from the smile on his face that it was the real deal. He was really asking her to marry him.

A dozen reasons not to marry him popped into her mind right away. But they were followed by two dozen reasons to marry him. So, without giving it a second thought, she had said yes.

After months of planning, they were finally getting married. It was a simple affair that took place where it all started in front of the Charles River. And when Nate handed Parker over to Eliot, she knew that the wedding was his way of telling her. . . she was the best thing that had ever been his.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note:**

**The next story I'm going to write is to "Innocent" by Taylor Swift. It should be an interesting story, I only hope I can do the song and the idea justice. **

**Holly, July 20, 2011_**


	4. Shattered on the Floor

Story 4 – Shattered on the Floor

**A Parker/Eliot Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Summary:**

When nobody else sees it, Parker does. Eliot is completely and utterly innocent. Based on "Innocent" by Taylor Swift.

**Shout-Outs:**

Bprice, leavenotrace, Noelle86, futurecop, & Ultrawoman. . . thank you for your reviews guys. I really appreciate them & To everybody who favorited, or put this on story/author alert, thanks to you guys too! Reviews and favorites, and alerts are what keep me writing.

**Honorable Mentions:**

saides, my incredible beta-reader. It's a pleasure to work with you, because you push me to be the best I can as a writer, and won't let me take the easy way out.

**Disclaimer:**

I own an iPod, a couple dozen journals, and the deluxe edition of "Speak Now". I don't own Parker, Eliot, Leverage, or the rights to the song "Innocent".

**Author's Note:**

I think that I may be making Eliot and Parker slightly OOC. But it's for the sake of the story, and to fit the song.

**.**

"Eliot?" Parker called one day in early October. She let herself into his house with the spare key she had stolen on her last visit to him. "Eliot, are you here?"

"Go away Parker!" He barked.

Parker quietly closed the door, and followed his voice to the living room. She found the hitter stretched out on the floor with his eyes closed. The room was dark, save for some light streaming in through partially opened curtains.

"Eliot?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

"I told you to go away," Eliot answered.

Parker sat down at his feet and pulled her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Then why haven't you come to work in four days? We've all been worried about you."

"I've been tired," he mumbled, making a pretense to cover his eyes with his forearm.

But Parker wasn't as dumb as everybody made her out to be. "Something's bothering you."

Eliot sighed wearily. "Nothing's bothering me, I promise. Now leave me alone. . . please."

"No."

He sighed again. "Parker—"

"_Eliot,_" she parroted. "Come on, tell me what's bothering you."

"It's catching up with me," Eliot finally answered.

"What's catching up with you?"

"The job. . . Parker. The job's catching up with me."

Understanding dawned on Parker's face. "Yeah, but it's not always like on other days."

"There were kids involved this time though," Eliot said. "Twelve kids. . . and they're all gone because of me. Their childhood's, it was snuffed out in an instant. It's all I've been able to think about Parker, every time I close my eyes—"

"It was part a job though," Parker replied. "And you didn't know. . . they didn't tell us—"

"I'm supposed to protect people!"

Parker was silent, she wished that Sophie was there. Sophie was better than she would ever be at handling situations like this. She sighed, rocking back and forth. "Eliot—"

He got to his feet, turned his back to her, and went over to the window. He put his hands on the curtains. "Parker, just go. . . please."

"_No_," Parker replied as she stood too. She went up behind him and took his hands off the curtains, afraid that he was going to rip them down if she didn't. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"Well, I _want _to be left alone. . . don't you understand the meaning of that phrase?" Eliot demanded.

She shrugged and pulled back the curtains, looking out at the gray clouds that held the promise of snow. She waited a long moment and then turned to look at him. And then in a very Parker-unlike manner she said, "You know, I wish people hadn't left me alone when I was younger. . . maybe things would be different today."

Eliot avoided her steady gaze, ashamed of everything. "How can you even stand to look at me Parker?"

"Because. . . You're innocent." She took a step towards him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "And we all mess up. . . we're only human—"

He recoiled like he had been burned by her touch. "I'm not innocent though. You have no idea what I've done Parker. _No idea_!"

"I know the things you did then, don't make you what you are today."

For the first time that she since had come in, Eliot really looked at her. "You honestly don't believe that."

"I do."

"Then you're a walking contradiction," he said without elaborating on what he meant.

Parker would never admit that the words stung her to her very core. But Eliot was always saying things like that to her, so she had learned not to take it to heart too much. There was a long silence, and once again Parker found herself wishing that Sophie, or maybe Nate, was there with her.

Finally, an idea hit her. She couldn't believe that she hadn't thought about it before, she took a few steps towards her friend and grasped his hand. "Come on, I'm taking you out."

"I'd rather stay here."

"Please Eliot?" Parker pleaded, giving him the look she usually did when she wanted something from him.

.

Just one look from Parker, and Eliot found himself eating _Late Night Snack_ ice cream at the Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor.

"Why'd you bring me here?" He asked through a mouthful of chocolate covered potato chips. "You know I usually don't eat stuff like this."

"Ice cream is comfort food," Parker answered with a shrug. "Besides you needed a change of scenery. . . you needed to clear your head. You haven't left your apartment in four days, no wonder. . ." she trailed off, realizing that she had probably said too much and took another large lick of her ice cream cone.

Eliot watched her curiously, he had never seen her like this. She was actually speaking like she was a thirty-two-years-old. He spooned some more ice cream into his mouth and sighed, wishing that he had insisted on sitting in a booth. But Parker liked sitting at counters, she swore that it added to the ice cream parlor experience.

He smiled in spite of himself, feeling considerably lighter than he had earlier in the week. Parker was exactly the kind of medicine that he needed, he wondered how she knew that exactly.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"How in the world that Jimmy Fallon guy would come up with potato chip ice cream," Eliot lied. "And why on earth you'd want to eat it."

.

The sun was setting when they came out of Ben & Jerry's, causing the changing foliage to make the street look like it was on fire. Parker was smiling and humming a Katy Perry song while she drank a Coke.

He still wasn't feeling like his old self, the guilt was still gnawing at the corners of his conscience. But Eliot wanted to thank her for not giving up on him that afternoon. He knew if it were any other girl, they would have left him alone after the first time he had snapped at them.

Instinctively, his hand slid through hers and he gently squeezed her fingers. He didn't know if he'd ever feel innocent again, but he knew. . . somebody believed in him still, and somehow, that made everything easier.

**_The End_**

Author's Note II:

Like I said in my first story, I'm from New Hampshire. . . so when it comes to things New England, I know what I'm talking about. So, I can say with certainty that there are, in fact, THREE or FOUR "Ben & Jerry's" in Boston. . . although the first time I had it was on vacation in Vermont. Wherever it is, it's AMAZING.

**And Jimmy Fallon really does have his own flavor called "Late Night Snack". . . I mean, go figure he'd have something like that, right?**

**Anyways, the next story I'm going to write is to, "You Belong With Me". So, be on the look out for that.**

**Peace and Love,**

**Holly, August 2, 2011_**


	5. Last Kiss

**Story 5 – Last Kiss**

**A Parker/Eliot StoryBy Brown Eyes Parker **

**Summary:**

**After Parker disappears, Eliot writes her an e-mail asking her where she went. Meant to be a drabble. Based on and inspired by "Last Kiss" by Taylor Swift.**

**Shout-Outs: **

**Honorable Mentions:**

**saides, my incredible beta-reader. It's a pleasure to work with you, because you push me to be the best I can as a writer, and won't let me take the easy way out.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Can I make it anymore obvious? I don't own Leverage, or Taylor Swift. **

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, so I know that I said I was going to write a story to "You Belong With Me", but it was taking a long time to figure out a story to go with it. . . and I guess my heart just wasn't with it. I do plan on going back to it, and trying to salvage what I did write into a readable story. . . but for now, I present to you "" based on "Last Kiss". (August 19th, 2011)**

_Parker, I've tried to stop thinking about you this past month-and-a-half, but it's been SO hard not thinking about you. You are SO deep under my skin, I don't think I'll ever get rid of you completely. You'll always be there, your name is etched on my heart and it hasn't healed over._

He looked up from the e-mail he was typing and out the window at the moon, wondering why she had run away exactly. . . wondering where they, no – he – had gone wrong in their relationship. He had been pretty sure it had been going well.

_When I told you that I loved you that night, you did say it back. So, I want to know why. . . why did you leave Parker? _

He stopped again, wondering why he was writing an e-mail he would never send. Wondering when was the exact moment that he had turned into a needy, romantic sap.

_Was it too much too soon? Did I scare you off? Because you were gone the next day when I came into work. You just disappeared into thin air, without notifying anybody about your whereabouts. I couldn't even find you. . . no matter where I looked, no matter how hard I tried._

_Did you think about how I would feel if you disappeared? Probably not, because I didn't think about what the repercussions would be when I told you that I loved you. I just said it without thinking, which was out of character for me. Now you know why I don't get emotionally involved with women. Somebody always ends up getting hurt in the end. I just never counted on it being me, especially not emotionally. I never imagined we'd end with you disappearing, and me writing stupid e-mails at two in the morning. I never imagined that you'd change your mind. . . did you? _

He paused for a third time and took a long sip of his Samuel Adams beer, trying to think about what to write next.

_**I can still feel your arms around me. . . I can still smell your skin, it smelled permanently like the Bath & Body spray Sophie bought for your birthday. What was it again? Oh, I remember now it was Rain Kissed Leaves. **_

_**Do you remember what I smell like? Do you still feel my arms around you? Can you still feel our last kiss? I hope you do, because I'll never forget. . . I'll never forget anything about you Parker. **_

_**Come back to me,**_

_**Eliot_**_

**Author's Note II: **

**I have never been this vulnerable before, but part of the letter is actually something I scribbled to somebody. . . no, I never sent it.**

**I didn't want this to follow the song, so that's probably why it was so short. Somebody once commented that they didn't like it when the dialogue followed a song. . . and to be honest, I really don't either. Thoughts? Flames? I'm open to all kinds of feedback! So, if you feel inclined to say anything just click on the review button and say it. I'm going to write "Enchanted" next. It's a story that's been in my mind for a while now. So, keep your eyes open for that little number. I'll try and have it written, beta-d, and posted before my trip in two weeks. **

**Love,**

**Holly August 25, 2011_**


End file.
